The General Secretariat of the League of Arab States began its Seventh Session of the Arab Coordination Mechanism for Disaster Risk Reduction in Manama, Bahrain, with discussions scheduled to run through Wednesday.
The gathering, hosted by the Kingdom of Bahrain, brought together numerous Arab, regional, and international organizations specializing in disaster risk reduction.
The session addressed key issues aimed at bolstering regional cooperation against growing environmental and humanitarian crises.
Ambassador Ali bin Ibrahim Al-Maliki, Assistant Secretary-General and head of the Economic Affairs Sector, underscored the meeting's significance. The agenda covered monitoring natural disasters, following up on the implementation of the Arab Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction, and the Arab Roadmap for Preparedness and Response to Nuclear and Radiological Emergencies. The session also featured the launch of a new Arab project focused on marine disasters and their mitigation.
Other major topics discussed included selecting the theme for the 2026 Arab Day for Disaster Reduction, examining a proposal to establish an Arab Programme for Agricultural Disaster Risk Reduction, and developing a regional map to enhance and modernize disaster risk reduction curricula. Participants also deliberated on the establishment of an Arab Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction.
The session comes as the Arab region faces severe repercussions from climate and environmental changes, including increased rates of desertification, forest fires, and water scarcity. These challenges are compounded by complex humanitarian crises, making the Middle East and North Africa one of the world's most vulnerable areas to interrelated disasters.
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